Durga Puja is a major Hindu festival celebrated predominantly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Tripura, and Bihar, as well as in Bangladesh and Nepal. The festival honors the goddess Durga and celebrates her victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.
When is Durga Puja celebrated?
Durga Puja is an important Hindu Festival celebrated all over India with different rituals and festivities especially in the eastern region covering the states of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Tripura. In West Bengal and Tripura, which has majority of Bengali Hindus it is the biggest festival of the year. Apart from eastern India, Durga Puja is also celebrated in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka and Kerala. It is celebrated in September/October every year.
The festival typically lasts for ten days, starting with Mahalaya, and culminating in Vijayadashami (also known as Dussehra). The last five days, from Shashthi to Dashami, are the most significant and widely celebrated.
This festival involves the worship of Shakti i.e Goddess Durga. The legend Shakti lays back to the story of Mahisasur, a powerful daemon also known as the Buffalo Daemon. Through years of intense praying and worship he got boon from Lord Brahma that no power could him making him invincible. But once the divine powers were bestowed upon him, he started ravaging the whole world and killing people and eventually wanted to uproot the Gods too. The Gods, in dismay, combined their powers to create a beautiful maiden, and each placed his or her most potent weapon in one of her ten hands riding a lion. Durga killed Mahisasur and won the heaven back for the Gods.
Her return in each year in the Bengali month of Aswin (September-October) commemorates Rama s invocation of the goddess Durga before he went into battle with Ravana.
Durga Puja is celebrated as one of the biggest festival in Bengal and is also most significant sociocultural event in Bengali society.
Legends of Durga Puja
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Durga Puja, as the name suggests is celebrated in honor of Goddess Durga, who had the divine power of fighting and killing everything evil. This festival is celebrated based on the legend of Durga Maa's triumph over the invincible demon buffalo King Mahishasura. Click here to read the complete story behind Durga Puja celebrations.
Durga Puja Celebrations
Durga Puja is a very popular and widely celebrated festival, commemorating the victory of Goddess Durga. The Durga Puja festivities coincide with the celebrations of Navratri and Dussehra and its celebrated in various ways in the different regions of India. Click here to read about the Durga Puja celebrations in different regions of India
The most famous celebration of Durga Puja takes place in West Bengal, especially the capital of Kolkata. Click here to get details of Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal
How is Durga Puja Performed?
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Rituals and Celebrations:
Pre-Puja Rituals
- Mahalaya:
- Date: Occurs seven days before the main Puja begins.
- Significance: Marks the advent of Durga to her maternal home. It involves the chanting of hymns and mantras, primarily from the 'Chandi Path'.
- Rituals: Devotees perform 'Tarpan'—offering water to ancestors' souls at riverbanks.
Main Puja Days
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Shashthi (Sixth Day):
- Kalparambha: The day starts with this ritual, marking the beginning of the Puja.
- Bodhon: The unveiling of the idol of Goddess Durga, symbolizing the awakening of the goddess.
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Saptami (Seventh Day):
- Nabapatrika Puja: Nine different plants (representing the nine forms of Durga) are tied together and worshipped.
- Pran Pratishta: The ritual of invoking life into the idol by chanting mantras and performing prayers.
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Ashtami (Eighth Day):
- Sandhi Puja: Performed at the juncture of Ashtami and Navami, it is one of the most important rituals, symbolizing the slaying of Mahishasura.
- Kumari Puja: Young pre-pubescent girls are worshipped as manifestations of the divine feminine.
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Navami (Ninth Day):
- Maha Arati: Grand worship and prayers are conducted. Offerings of flowers, fruits, and sweets are made to the goddess.
- Bali (Animal Sacrifice): In some traditional households, animal sacrifice is performed as a part of the rituals.
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Dashami (Tenth Day):
- Sindoor Khela: Married women apply sindoor (vermilion) to each other and the goddess, signifying the marital bliss of Durga.
- Visarjan: The idols are taken in grand processions to rivers or other water bodies for immersion, symbolizing Durga's return to her abode.
Daily Rituals
- Pushpanjali: Devotees offer flowers to the goddess while chanting mantras.
- Bhog: Offerings of food, fruits, and sweets are made to the deity and later distributed among devotees.
- Aarti: Daily aarti (ritual of worship with lamps) is performed with singing and chanting of devotional songs.
- Mahalaya:
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Pandals:
- Temporary structures called pandals are constructed, elaborately decorated, and house the idols of Durga, her children (Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartikeya, and Ganesha), and her lion.
- Themes can vary from traditional to contemporary, often reflecting social issues or artistic creativity.
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Cultural Events:
- Various cultural programs, including dance, music, drama, and recitation, are organized in and around the pandals.
- Food stalls offering a variety of traditional Bengali cuisine are also a common sight.
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Community and Social Significance:
- Durga Puja is not just a religious festival but also a significant social and cultural event.
- It brings together people from different communities and fosters a spirit of unity and celebration.
Durga Maa is worshiped in varied ways in different regions of India. Some various customs and rituals are observed during Durga Puja, and certain preparations and processes have to be followed to perform the Puja.
Click on the following links to get details on How to do Durga Puja:
Rituals and Customs of Durga Puja
Durga Puja Aarti, Durga Stuti, Durga Chalisa, Durga Bhajan
Recipes for Durga Puja
Durga Puja sees a variety of special food preparations over the six days of celebrations. There are special dishes, especially sweet dishes prepared on Durga Puja as food is a very important part of any festival or celebration anywhere in India. Click here to get recipes on some of the delicacies of Durga Puja
दुर्गा पूजा विधि, महत्व, मंत्र हिंदी में जानने के लिये यहां क्लिक करें